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A Girl and Her Pearls

Saturday, November 14, 2009

I was under the weather last weekend and Tom was playing poker with the neighborhood guys, so I ended up channel surfing late Saturday night. QVC was featuring the Today's Special Value from Bare Escentuals, so I decided to watch. I ended up ordering the TSV, which was the new collection crafted in conjunction with Honora Pearls. Yes, the colors in this collection are infused with pearl powder from Honora.

I am not in love with Bare Escentuals. There are some items I do really like, such as Well Rested and the Dark Blonde/Medium Brown Brow Color. Those are staples for me and I use them each day and have for about 3.5 years. The foundation isn't great compared to superior mineral foundations such as Everyday Minerals and Organic Wear.

My kit arrived the other day and I have had a chance to test it out. I thought I'd share my opinions with you.

Impressions of what is in the kit:

Blissful Pearl Eye Color--this is a very lovely peach shade. Not an orange-y peach, just a lovely neutral and delicate shade. Glides on like a dream with a very subtle shimmer. I am very fair and this is a GREAT shade. If you're not fair, though, you may need to build on the color a bit since it is subtle.

Magnificent Pearl Eye Color--This is a nice steel gray meets taupe shade. Perfect to use damp as a liner or just a deeper, night shade. I noticed, though, that this takes more effort to blend than my other colors from Bare Escentuals. You need a very light hand with the brush and LOTS of blending. Once you do that, though, it is stunning.

Intense Black Big & Bright Mineral Eyeliner Pencil--A nice black liner. I typically use a homemade mineral eye liner or else one from Smashbox. This is fabulous. You may want to add a light dusting of mineral foundation or finishing powder first, though, because it smudges a bit without.

Flawless Definition Mascara--Paraben free. This is nice. It's not as natural in terms of ingredients as the Almay Pure Blends or Physicians Formula Organic Wear. The ingredients are as natural as the ones in Tarte Lash Hugger. It gives more length and volume, though, than all of those and is very buildable in terms of coverage. This is great. I think this may replace my typical Organic Wear!

Precious Pearl Blush--This is a gorgeous shade. It's a true dusty mauve without peach tones. It is so, so soft when applying. This is a very subtle shade. Some blushes are choppy going on, but this is soft and beautiful. Think a softer, more muted version of Lancome's popular Aplum.

Brightening Pearl Mineral Veil--This is slightly different than the traditional finishing powder, Mineral Veil. There is a hint of warmth to it and an ever so slight shimmer. The pearl powder adds that little bit of radiance and it's quite nice.

If you have tried Laura Geller's Balance & Brighten or Prescriptives Magic before, this is along the same lines. It is more for evening, in my opinion, but I am more conservative with my daytime makeup.

Sugared Strawberry All Natural Lip Gloss--This is a very pretty neutral pink. It's actually gorgeous. I could wear it daily. The one issue I have with this 100% natural product? It contains carmine, which comes from crushed insects....there are far better ingredients to give color (natural fruit colorants) and I suggest Bare Escentuals follow 100% Pure's lead when it comes to coloring lip products.

3 Brushes--Oh so very disappointing. These feel so cheaply made and are really of mediocre quality. Everyday Minerals and EcoTools offer far superior brushes! In fact, EcoTools are the best brushes on the market, in my opinion. I won't use these....I'm not sure whether to sell them on eBay or give them to my boys for their little pretend beauty salon...

The bottom line?

This has a retail value of $108. I saved more than 50% in this Today's Special Value. I won't use the brushes, but I really adore everything else. I used to have very mixed feelings about Bare Escentuals, but the company is back is my good graces with this kit.

Oh, and about the Honora pearls....I really don't think the pearl powder made a difference in anything other than the look of the Mineral Veil. The color wasn't richer or longer lasting in the other products, so I think that part is more hype than anything else. Other than that, I love this new kit!

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